Teenage Sexuality in Korean Pop Culture

East Asia, Korean Children and Teenagers, Korean Media, Korean Sexuality

원더걸스-wondergirls-in-short-skirts-doing-cute-faces

In Monday’s Korea Times, and it’s close enough to the original that I’ll forgo presenting my own version here this time. New readers, please see here for a video, screenshots,  and much wider discussion of the O’yu commercial mentioned and the issues it raises, and see here for more on the Sahmyook University study on condom use and premarital sex by Koreans referred to also. Old readers, apologies for the repetition this time, but fulfilling Brian’s request just proved too tempting in the end!

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9 thoughts on “Teenage Sexuality in Korean Pop Culture”

  1. I’m more disturbed by the requisite, obvious editing than by the “sexy girlishness.” I wonder if the constant bombardment of leggy images is influencing the tastes of Korean men, who used to be satisfied with a pretty face and slender figure.

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  2. Great to see you getting published in the Korea Times. Have you thought about having something translated and published in a Korean language medium to reach a wider audience?

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  3. Congrats! You’re getting big coverage at Naver, whose front page rotates headlines. Your KT article is appearing in the English news headlines. Good work! The folks at Naver probably recognized that your titilating title would get lots of hits.

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    1. Thanks, and I’d find it difficult to feign outrage at the “sexy girlishness” myself too, although I do have my (age) limits of course.

      I haven’t really thought about Korean language publications yet, but I think I should concentrate on burnishing my reputation in the overseas English-language media first: if anyone has any recommendations for newspapers and magazines (print and internet) that would be interested in publishing articles about the sorts of things I write, please please please let me know!

      It’s good being on Naver, but it’s just a consequence of my article being the 3rd most popular one on the KT website as I type this really, which is to be expected given its title.

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  4. The reason why the sexy girlishness doesn’t put me off is that to my Western female eyes, the models are more cute than sexy. I think Americans tend to prefer more overt sexuality from females who look old enough to be experienced but still young enough not to look like somebody’s mom.

    It’s not only the women, but the men, too, who look boyishly sexy, more sweet than powerfully masculine.

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  5. Yet it is that cuteness which does bother me. I don’t know much about Japanese culture, but it seems like they strongly encourage girls to be submissive in every way while simultaneously severely punishing every aspect of potential assertiveness.

    It looks like they don’t have permission to confidently assert even the most minor of their own needs at all. Even the “empowered” sexxxed up girrrrrl power will allow some assertiveness.

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